


like you would do for one you love

by hihoplastic



Series: and who but you would take me in a thousand kisses deep [4]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 05:05:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4906621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hihoplastic/pseuds/hihoplastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’s a bit more obedient this time around, at least with her. He doesn’t march over and drag her away or make a scene, but he does appear to be attempting to inflict psychic pain on the unassuming clerk whenever he leans into her personal space over the counter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	like you would do for one you love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heavenisalibrary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavenisalibrary/gifts).



> \- for alyssa, who requested, "River takes the Doctor on a trip. Via plane. And he has to sit there for the entire plane ride and deal with it."  
> \- title from leonard cohen's "take this longing"

Procuring first class tickets isn’t remotely difficult. A wide smile, a throaty laugh, her hand sliding up the desk clerk’s arm. He’d known exactly what she’d been doing and had flirted right back, much to her delight - he’s not quite her type, the ridges on his forehead too small and his shoulders too wide, but she can feel the Doctor’s jealousy from across the station, and revels in it.

He’s a bit more obedient this time around, at least with her. He doesn’t march over and drag her away or make a scene, but he does appear to be attempting to inflict psychic pain on the unassuming clerk whenever he leans into her personal space over the counter.

Upgrades complete, River thanks the man and blows him a kiss, laughing when he pretends to catch it and secure it in his pocket. Over his shoulder she sees the Doctor scowl.

Grinning, she makes her way back to him, waving the tickets under his nose. “You were saying?”

The Doctor huffs, obviously regretting telling her that the station never, ever upgrades. Snatching the tickets, he puts his hand on the small of her back possessively and steers her towards the docking station.

“Yes, congratulations, your feminine wiles have broken the law. Again.”

“They do come in handy, don’t they?” She throws him a smirk. “Certainly works on you.”

Nudging her into the line, he drops his hand and glowers, though it looks far more like a pout. “I could leave right now.”

“Could not.”

“I don’t even want to be here,” he grumbles, glaring at the other excited passengers.

“Yes, you do.”

“You want to look at rocks.”

River shrugs. “It’s my birthday. You said we could do whatever I want.”

“I did not.”

She smirks. “Really? I seem to remember a very enthusiastic consent.”

The Doctor huffs, his lips pursed in a thin line, but she can read him well enough to see the humor in his eyes. “I was under duress.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?”

She blinks up at him innocently, unsurprised when he leans into her personal space, his shoulder brushing against her chest. Even when he isn’t actively touching her, his body seems to magnetize to hers. It makes her smile, ducking her head for a moment to hide it. The line starts to move, and they’re quickly ushered into the cabin of the plane, two rows back. The floor beneath them is translucent and seamless, offering a magnified view of the ground below. The runway isn’t at all fascinating, but she knows once they’re low over the ruins of Arctera, the view will be stunning.

When she looks back up, the Doctor’s grumbling about the seat belts.

“I just don’t understand why we couldn’t take the TARDIS.”

River sighs, repeating her reasoning quietly so the others won’t overhear. “The alignment only occurs once in this planet’s history, and I’m not chancing you overshooting it or crashing us into the Temple.”

He scowls. “I would not–”

“Or getting distracted like on Treus, or flying too low like in the Battle of Mus, or putting us in the wrong century like you did last week with the Kraken–”

“That was not my fault,” he snaps. “If you hadn’t recalibrated the temporal isometers–”

“We would have exploded in 3rd century China. You’re welcome.”

Cursing under his breath, something that sounds suspiciously like “bloody impossible woman,” the Doctor folds his arms across his chest and glares out the window.

Ignoring him, River leans in, her chest pressed to his arm as the plane starts to taxi. The attendants are reviewing safety protocols, but she’s never understood the fun in that anyway.

“It’s supposed to be beautiful,” she says, her voice low and breath close to his ear. “The Acteri priests think it was a gift from their god, a show of appreciation for caring for the temple for so many millions of years.”

The Doctor snorts. “It’s an eclipse.”

“It’s more than that, Doctor, even scientifically – two meteors knocked out of two separate orbits billions of years ago, billions of miles apart, careening through space, collide directly in front of their sun. The geological makeup of the temple and mineral deposits in the stone just happened to be the exact right composition to deflect and defract the light into a thousand differs hues.” She shrugs. “Who’s to say that isn’t god-like?”

There must be something in her tone, because the Doctor turns to face her, exasperated. “Please don’t tell me you altered a planet’s orbit for a light show.”

River laughs. “Not this time, sweetie.”

He sighs, but retracts the arm rest between them so she can settle against his side, his arm slinging over her shoulder. Her hand finds his free one, and they watch in relative silence as the plane makes its way over the desert.

He’s much calmer this go around, less likely to fail his limbs, but he’s still restless, his foot tapping against the glass floor. The couple in the seat across from them huff, but one glare from River and they wisely say nothing. Not that he needs protecting - he’s happy enough snapping at anyone and everyone who annoys him. Or exists. But she knows underneath the gruff voice and narrowed eyes, he’s still the same sensitive idiot he’s always been. He’s the man who took her to see more stars in one sky than there ever was or would be; the man who took her ice skating on the Thames and kidnapped a famous pianist because she’d once remarked she loves his version of _Beyond the Sea_ ; the man who sent a hundred thousand lanterns into the sky for hundreds of years because he couldn’t quite say “I love you.”

At her left, he’s picked up the in-flight magazine and is skimming through it, declaring everything wrong and rubbish.

“Who invented linear time travel, bloody ridiculous–” he removes his hand briefly from her shoulder to check his watch. “It’s only been ten bloody minutes.”

River chuckles. “Sorry, sweetie. I forgot to pack toys to entertain you. Should I find a toddler to steal some off of?”

“This was your idea, you entertain me.”

As soon as he says it he cringes, then jumps as her hand slides around to the inside of his upper thigh. He tugs her away, pressing her hand firmly against his knee.

“Not like that.”

“The glass too much for you, Doctor?”

He glares, but his tone and expression are mitigated by the absent-minded gesture of tucking her hair back behind her ear.

“Hardly. Just worried you’d shatter it with your screams.”

River smirks, removing her hand from his thigh to slide over his chest. “It’s reinforced with Karahi steel - virtually indestructible.”

“Not at your pitch.”

“You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?” While he’s distracted scrutinizing her expression, her free hand returns to the inside of his thigh.

“Yes, I am, and you are trying to make this flight even worse.” His fingers curl around her wrist once again, and she laughs as he shifts in the seat.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

“Yes I can.”

She presses her lips to his briefly, and he sighs.

“No, I can’t.”

Scooting closer, River lays her head against his shoulder, smiling to herself as she feels him relax into the embrace. It’s not enough to keep his fingers from drumming on her back or his leg from bouncing, but he seems much more comfortable in the silence than he used to be. At least, around her.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, finding and stilling his free hand. “For letting me drag you out here.”

“You can owe me later,” he mutters.

River smirks. “Gladly.”

The Doctor huffs, but when he looks down at her, his expression is so warm and affectionate that she can’t help smile wider. To anyone else, she’s sure, it looks like he’s barely cracking a grin. But she knows him, knows this face.

“I would do anything for you,” he says, his voice low and more a vibration than anything else, and her eyes widen in surprise, then glee.

“Doctor–”

He cringes, his peaceful expression turning to one of embarrassment and annoyance. “I said that out loud.”

“You did.”

“Buggering hell.”

Wrapping her fingers around the back of his neck, she draws him in, lips slating over his, and he kisses her back with more passion his former self ever showed in public. It’s all she can do not to straddle his lap, but she doesn’t stop kissing him, she doesn’t know how long, not until he finally pulls away, face flushed and lips red.

“Well,” River murmurs, still breathless. “That took care of 10 minutes.”

The Doctor thumps his head back against the seat with a groan, and River laughs.


End file.
